Watch: Rajasthan LoP Rameshwar Dudi caught on camera saying he bet Rs 3 cr on state bypolls, uproar in house

There was pandemonium in the state assembly over a viral video of Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rameshwar Dudi, in which he allegedly says he bet Rs 3 crore on the recently concluded bypolls for three seats.

The matter was raised by parliamentary affairs minister Rajendra Rathore. Instead of directly accusing Dudi, Rathore said that he expected that there was a conspiracy against Dudi and the LOP should clarify the issue in the house.

It was a strategic blow hot, blow cold attack on Dudi by the two Rathores from BJP. While Rajendra Rathore took a roundabout path in accusing Dudi by saying that he suspected a conspiracy and urged him to clarify if it was indeed him in the video, Madan Rathore launched a more direct attack by accusing him of being involved in betting.

Madan Rathore waved his mobile in the air and said he had the alleged video and could vouch that it was Dudi and it was his own voice. Madan Rathore claimed that the video had been given to him by a person close to the LoP.

Rajendra Rathore urged Dudi to make a statement. “Supposing the ED questions Rathore tomorrow, he will blame the government. I am absolutely certain it is a conspiracy to malign him and he should come clear,” he said. 

Watch the video below: 

Hanuman Beniwal was the first to spring to Dudi’s defence followed by Dheeraj Gurjar, Govind Singh Dotasra and Shakuntala Ravat. The speaker had to adjourn the house twice because of the pandemonium.       

Dudi kept sitting when the attack was launched. But when the assembly resumed after an adjournment, he got up and denied that he had anything to do with betting or the video. 

Speaking to media Dudi said, “I am a villager, a farmer and have nothing to do with betting. I don’t know how it is done. I have no money to invest in betting. I have not seen the video and have nothing to do with it. Congress legislators are putting the government in a difficult spot by raising issues of common public and the BJP government is facing the heat.”

“When elections are on, the way Rathore and other BJP MLAs have created a hungama and got the house adjourned reeks of a conspiracy,” added Dudi. 

On the other hand, Rajendra Rathore while speaking to the media said it is a conspiracy by Congress, “Since the time Dudi is being considered a chief ministerial claimant, there is a conspiracy against him. This video is a part of that conspiracy. It has apparently been made by someone close to him.”

Incidentally, Dudi belongs to Bikaner and that is among the famous betting centres of Rajasthan.    

It cannot be denied that the controversy related to Dudi’s viral video has taken the wind out of Congress’s sails. The Opposition that was till yesterday successfully taking on the government with brute majority suddenly find themselves on the backfoot.